SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME

Taking apart, and repairing, something that I’m not trained to do, and have never done before. Today, it was my broken dishwasher. Didn’t want to spend $600 on a new one, so decided to give it a try. $40 in parts, and a little elbow grease, and now she’s running like a dream. That makes me feel good. Of course, there are other things that make me happier (wife, kids, hockey, when it’s going well), but earning my handyman card for the day is a satisfying feeling indeed.

Kind words and much appreciated. And kinda fun to get a reply like this right at the moment when I’m posting a silly joke attempt like the one above. EDIT: and, of course, a new thread page starts so this doesn’t make any sense. I was referring to this silly post:

I could Sverige he’s just getting started. So Suomi if I’m wrong, but I don’t think he’s Finished. (But yeah, Juolevi is actually Finnish. )

Alex Edler does not approve. Unless OJ is going to be his backup? Then,

Clearly the lesson is to avoid drafting Jakes/Jacobs/Jakubs/etc in the first round.

EDIT: Oops. Didn’t notice the movie’s tagline, when I first posted the image, but that’s a little unfortunate.

Saving space in the minor signings thread for the Petey extension.

For sure, when it comes to the true AHL guys. Was more thinking about a guy like Rathbone, who already made around $300k last season, and will get a minimum of around $160k, just AHL and signing bonuses, and likely close to a half mill, should he play significant games on call-up. Of course there’s taxes and escrow, but he should easily be able to keep whatever accommodations he had in Vancouver for last year, and maybe chip in for another place in Abby, with teammates. I expect Jack plans to make the Canucks anyway, so I doubt he’s giving up his lease on whatever he’s got in the city, or looks at Abbotsford as anything more than temporary, if he’s sent down. Although, now that I think about, wasn’t Rathbone living with Hughes last year? I seem to remember something like that, so maybe he’ll just keep a room at Quinn’s place, and then another setup in Abby, if he needs it. Mostly, however, I just think it’s a good situation for the team, and will help future relationships, with the young NHL guys and the AHL guys in the same metro area, and able to spend off days together and build friendships.

He also seems to tell anyone who asks that his nickname is “Big Sexy,” even though I strongly suspect that no teammate has ever called him that.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if a few of the AHL guys, especially those who got some taxi squad/NHL games last season, decided to keep their living arrangements in Vancouver, and just commute the hour to Abbotsford. Or maybe go in together and rent a house out in Abby, but also keep their apartments in the city. It’s a lot different now, from before, when you had to move across the continent (and had to deal with collecting your “stuff,” like that time with Jake ). I can see many of the Utica guys living downtown (at least for much of the year) and being part of the group, with the younger Canucks roster players, when it comes to their off-ice, social lives.

Especially since, with the AHL team move, being #1D in Abbotsford is basically like being the Canucks 7/8D, but just playing 20+ minutes a night on the farm, instead of sitting and eating popcorn in the Canucks press box, while he waits for an opportunity.

This was from the Pelicans’ press release (Google translated): “Jašek is a very good and explosive skater with the greatest strengths in the offensive game. He has a strong desire to develop as a player and this was also the biggest reason why he wanted to come specifically to Pelicans, even if there were takers in our eastern neighbor, among others” Makes it sound like he felt a year in a prime role in Finland was a better development path, versus the opportunity he’d have staying in the AHL. Suggests to me that he knew he wasn’t getting an NHL contract, or at least felt that he wouldn’t be getting a chance at an NHL call-up any time soon. The Finnish Liiga is considered the second strongest European league (after the SHL), and probably around 4th best in the world, and I’d argue better than the AHL (although I know this is controversial to say). Liiga is also considered to be a bit tougher/more physical, than either the SHL or KHL (although not quite as skilled as those two leagues). Good chance that Jašek will make more money and also face tougher competition/higher level of play, than if he’d stayed with Utica/Abbotsford. Also, interesting to read that he apparently had some KHL interest, but turned that down, in favour of this opportunity in Finland with Pelicans.

“I am large, I contain multitudes”

@Bertuzzipunchdoes, in this thread:

Definitely. It’d be much more work (and for much less reward) to convert OJ to a forward than it would be to simply continue to develop him and look to clean up any remaining issues in his game as a defenceman. And OJ is already really close. He’s shown he can be a capable bottom pairing Dman in the NHL, and with a few improvements, I think top-4 is still very possible. Juolevi was putting together a pretty good year, especially on the defensive side, despite all the challenges the team faced last season, as well as OJ individually (reportedly he was one of the hardest hit by the virus, and lost something like 20 lbs). But for much of this past season, he looked to have adjusted to the pace of the NHL game, and was making good reads, had improved his gap control, and even the mobility concerns seemed to be improving, when it came to defending on the rush, and making that pivot to the outside that had caused him so many issues in the past (mostly due to his injuries). He looked comfortable and his game really seemed to be rounding into shape, especially defensively. I think if we change our expectations, and don’t necessarily look for OJ to become a top-pairing, puck moving D, and PPQB, but instead, look for him to become a middle pairing, transitional defensive defenseman, penalty killer, and possibly some secondary/PP2 usage eventually, Juolevi might meet those expectations. He’s already a pretty solid in-zone defender, has good size and has learned to use it well, and be physically aggressive when he needs to, is a good shot blocker and knows how to get in lanes and disrupt plays, has improved his rush defence, makes good reads, maintains his gaps, is strong on recoveries, and has one of the better first passes on the team. There’s already a lot to like in OJ’s game, and I’m actually quite excited to see what Brad Shaw can get out of him, assuming Juolevi stays healthy and gets a full season’s worth of game reps, and a full year of practices and instruction from our newly acquired “defenceman whisperer.”

But for the Russian colours, he almost looks like he raided Petey’s closet. EDIT: Or maybe what you get when you buy Elias Pettersson on Wish.com?

If we’re talking bad nicknames, trivia question former Canuck Victor Oreskovich comes to mind. His nickname was “Chestovich” (because of his physique), and that has to be one of the worst ones ever.

Sounds like the Caps are getting Ryan Gauld. https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/whitecaps-close-signing-scottish-messi-ryan-gauld I might actually have to start watching matches again. Gauld looks to be that legitimate DP quality #10 that this team has been missing.

The whole Carrie & Lowell album, but especially “Should’ve Known Better” brings the tears for me. Especially the second half where the song turns more hopeful. The line “My brother had a daughter/ the beauty that she brings, illumination,” is what always gets me weepy. The song is about the death of Sufjan Stevens’ mother, and his feelings of loss and regret, processing trauma (his mother abandoned him as a young child, due to substance abuse and mental health issues), coming to terms with death, closing the door on the past, and finding meaning and beauty in the present and in the living. My own sorry is different, from Sufjan’s but I really relate to the song. I went through a really rough patch where I lost my only sibling to suicide, and then my best friend, who I’d known since childhood, died tragically very shortly after. Shook my world and left me in a deep depression. And what eventually brought me out was the birth of my twins, just a couple years later. “Illumination” is exactly how I felt when those precious babies entered the world. “The beauty that they bring” is what brought me back to the world of the living. And like the song says, “The past is still the past/ The bridge to nowhere.” I’d gotten stuck and couldn’t move past my feelings of loss. I needed to leave the past in the past, and my kids are what finally brought me back to the present. When I first heard that song when the album dropped, I bawled my eyes out, because as much as it’s about Sufjan’s very autobiographical story with his mother, it was also about my own life, and felt very personal to me. Other than that, if we’re talking about songs that bring the tears, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the entire Will Oldham song catalogue (he’s probably my favourite songwriter). Too many to choose from, not that all his tunes are depressing, but he definitely spends a lot of time in that space. Here are a couple (or three) of my favourites, when I’m in the mood for wallowing in my own sadness.

I think a little fear of death is healthy. Personally, I wish I’d had more of that when I was a young man. I put myself in many risky situations, and it’s only because of luck that I survived and came out relatively unscathed. Having kids cured me, however. And also seeing the aftermath when people close to me died from various forms of misadventure. I’m very careful now, and do fear death. But mostly because I want to be there for my kids, and I don’t want to put anyone who cares for me through any pain. As a young single man, however, I was a mess. Didn’t have a death wish or anything, just didn’t care about any risks, and did whatever the hell I wanted, even when I knew I was putting my life on the line. So yeah, some fear of death is good, in my opinion. However, if fear of death, or any fear, stops you from living and enjoying your life, and just doing everyday, normal things, I’d definitely recommend seeking help from a qualified mental health professional. We can all use a good “tune up,” from time to time. I’ve certainly needed lots of work over the years, to keep myself in good shape, when it comes to my mental health.

Could always run the team this way: I mean, what could go wrong? (Do any rival GMs own racehorses? Asking for a friend.)

For hockey management? Is Benning going to make better trades if he hires special advisors to goon other GMs into accepting lowball offers?

Here’s how I see things playing out. If next season is a big success, the Canucks start winning, and it carries over into a competitive phase for the team, then who’s getting credit? The Sedins. Deserved or not, there will be a lot of people claiming the twins joining management is what turned the team around. If next season is a huge failure, the Canucks finish bottom of the league, and the axe comes down, who’s getting fired? Benning and Weisbrod. Who’s not getting fired? The Sedins. A new GM comes in and is choosing his staff? Who’s first on his list for keeping? The Sedins. If he’s smart, he promotes them. Instant PR win and gets the city on his side from day one. And once the twins have padded their resumes, and the time comes for a regime change, who’s getting the first interviews with ownership (for GM or President)? That’d be the Sedins. Notice a pattern? Honestly, so long as the twins maintain titles that are below the GM, who in their right mind is going to fire them? And if the twins are committed to really learning the job, before taking on senior management positions, then it’s very likely they’ll be successful, if and when they decide to finally seek those high level roles. At that point, they’ll succeed or fail on their own merits, and they won’t be anyone’s pawns.

I think the twins proved, through the roles and titles they’re starting with, that they are smart enough not to let this happen. There were some pretty strong rumours that the Sedins were initially offered, by ownership, much higher profile front office positions and titles (something that would have been akin to them replacing Linden), which they turned down. They won’t be the faces of the NHL organization (at least no more than they already were, even in retirement) or the CSE front office. Starting off as advisors, clearly below JB and his AGMs in the chain of command, and apparently with the freedom to participate in all areas of hockey ops, but mainly in an advisory and supportive capacity. Allows them to learn the business and grow their experience, with the view toward eventual longterm roles and advancement. This effectively lets them dip their toes into every aspect of hockey management, but still insulates them from any failures directly attributed to the current management group, and the short term results of the NHL club. They’ve pretty effectively insured that they can’t really be used as PR shields or sacrificial lambs, and that their legacies can’t really be tarnished. I’m sure the twins paid close attention to what happened with Linden, and made sure that they would not be put into a position to potentially share a similar fate. When the timing is right, I can see the twins moving up to high profile roles (Co-Presidents, Co-GMs, etc), but they will take those steps on their own terms, and on their own merits, so that when the time actually comes, they’ll be ready, and they’ll very likely be quite successful, and long-tenured, in those top level roles.

Sedins future Co-GMs, and King gets joined by the twins’ other former linemates to fill out the coaching staff. Maybe Burrows, Hansen, and King behind the bench. Taylor Pyatt can be the video coach (put those eyes to good use ). Still figuring out roles for Carter, Samuelsson, Klatt, Vrbata, Naslund, Linden, etc.